Water's Burn
by MissWriter4Ever
Summary: What happens when the next generation steps up? Yuki, the daughter of Zuko and Katara can bend both water and fire, making it difficult to take the thrown...what happens when Azula escapes?
1. Prologue

In a time where the Fire Nation ruled by fear, there came a hope. The Avatar; master of the four elements, earth, fire, water, and wind. Though this air bending Avatar was young, and inexperienced, he saved the four great nations with help; Katara a water-bender and her brother Sokka, two villagers from the south pole, Toph the blind earth bender, and Zuko the banished prince of the Fire Nation. After Sozin's comet had passed, and the Fire Lord defeated, Aang, our young but brave avatar, confessed his long existing feelings for Katara, who returned them. But as years passed, and with them, change. Though being good friends and lovers, Katara and Aang could not seem to find the spark that had existed when they were children. Though it brought them short pain, they separated. Also Zuko, the new fire lord, found that he, for a second time, could not connect to his fiancé, Mai. Though he loved her, the love, he found, was becoming something brittle, almost empty. Mai, on the other hand, had found a new love, a great general in the army. Wanting Mai to be happy, Zuko broke the engagement, breaking his heart along with it. Another year of peace passed, and soon a great festival took place, marking the day that fear was concurred. At the fire palace, a gathering was made of ambassadors from each nation, all coming to see old friends. Aang and Katara where still friends, having realized that their separation was for the best. Sokka came with his love Suki, their little son Tokken clinging to his mother's skirt. Toph arrived, appearing regal and poised, yet also strong, no longer the china doll her parents made her out to be. Zuko stood apart from the others, not because of his scar, but because of his heart ache. The other's had come, lighthearted and gay, yet he could not shake the pain of knowing that Mai could not love him. Soon the hours passed, and a fire lord was missing. Out of curiosity and worry Katara slipped away, silently wandering the halls until she came upon him, quietly looking out into the royal gardens, a look of woe and pain painted across his handsome face. The image took Katara by surprise, her heart giving a flutter it hadn't shown in years. Unknowing to her, it was the moment that her heart was given to Zuko. Coming to his side, she simply wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder, giving him silent support, a friend to lean upon. Zuko looked down at the young woman in shock. They were good friends, having saved each other's lives, but the feeling of sudden warmth that blossomed in his chest took him by surprise. Wanting to keep the wonderful warming feeling, he encircled his arms around the water-bender, unknowing that at that moment, love's arrow had pierced his heart. While in the garden two opposites drew together, another pair also were pulled by attraction. Aang was not entirely surprised by the change in Toph. As a young girl she had been rough, not taking a moment for grace, but now her steps were seamless, but her sharp wit and tongue were still intact. Toph, on the other hand felt lost. Her heart had always held a place for Aang, a place that had grown larger in every passing year. At hearing the news of Aang's separation made her excited yet nervous at the same time. Now Aang looked upon her, seeing the subtle beauty in her pale eyes, her porcelain skin. His heart became like his glider, taking the air to fly into her hands, to wait verdict. She accepted his signs of affection, giving her own. Soon love and romanced bloomed fully, the new found lovers finding what they were looking for in each other's arms. Katara fulfilled Zuko's only wish, becoming his Fire Lady without a moment's delay, while Aang swept Toph off her feet, asking her to be his. After weddings of love and cheer, the new found families were blessed with the gift of children, though Katara and Zuko faced a challenge with their love. The people of the Fire Nation where worried of the weakening of their royal blood line, demanding that if the child could not bend fire, or at worst, showed signs of being a water bender, that they must relinquish their claim to the throne. Katara and Zuko worried over their child's future, but still kept hope for the best. To their surprise and horror, when their child was born, they showed the ability to bend both elements, one with each hand. The people could not argue that this heir could not be adequate to fill the expectations as a ruler, but parliament made clear that the child must pass and Agni Kan with another who was also fit to take the throne, and that they must marry a person of stature and a fire bender...


	2. Chapter OnePre birthday jitters

Yuki laid spread across her bed, staring up at the ceiling, dreading what would come. Tomorrow would be her sixteenth birthday, and the start of finding a fiancé. She didn't want one, but she didn't want to give up her birth right either. She sighed, bringing her hands up to her face to study them. Both were wrapped, though only one really needed to be, another failed attempt at fire bending with both hands. For some reason she couldn't seem to move the flame from her right hand. She could bend water with both hands easily, and that scared her. If in the Agni Kan she couldn't water bend, then how was she suppose to win the right to rule the Fire Nation if all she could do was toss a flame with one hand? And what if her opponent could bend lightning? Yuki shivered, just having thought about the thing that scared her the most. She couldn't explain why, but she always had a panic attack when ever a lighting storms came, though lucky for her, the storms were few in between in the hot nation.

A knocking on her door made Yuki turn, instinctively drawing water from the vase holding the fire lilies, with one hand, while the other went in flames, burning away the wrapping. Clearing her throat she half rose from the bed, calling out, "Enter." Her parents had started to attack her by surprise to keep her aware of her surroundings and on her toes. But the person who came through her door wasn't her mother, her father, or any royal adviser. It was her best friend Teo.

All the maids and young girls in the palace thought that he was attractive, six foot, a good seven inches over Yuki, with black hair that fell into his eyes that were the color that was caught between granite and green tea. He was always polite and kind, giving a smile to everyone, and opening the doors for the girls who had their arms full. Yuki didn't exactly get what about that appeased to all the admirers, but if it made them happy she guessed she would be alright with it. Grinning Yuki dropped her elements, running to hug her best friend, though running into a wall halfway, or almost running into it.

Laughing, she grabbed the top of it with her right hand and flipping over it, while with her left she flicked her wrist, causing a water whip to come behind Teo and hit him across the head. She landed in front of him with a satisfied smirk, flicking her right hand in front of his face and making tiny sparks jump, "Nice try Teo…but you'll have to do better than that." Teo chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her hard, "Don't I always for you Yuki?" Yuki pulled back far enough to stick her tongue out at him, before pulling out of his arms entirely, "Eh, you can have your moments Teo."

He rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically, "Man, you don't see your best friend in half a year and when you do show up she gives you grief." Yuki laughed once again, sitting on the edge of her bed, "Well fine then. How was the North Pole? Did Kisa enjoy it?" Teo made a face, shrugging, "Cold. I think I may stay here for a while to thaw out. You think your parents would mind?" Yuki shook her head, rolling her eyes herself, "No they wouldn't but Aang and Toph might. You know how _your_ parents get when you try to rabbit-weasel your way out of traveling."

Teo feigned a look of shock, coming over to flop next to her, "Rabbit-weasel, me? Now how can you say such a hurtful thing?" Yuki poked his side hard, "Easy, having a royal parade of stuck up nobles coming in tomorrow to 'swoon' me." Teo grimaced at the mention of the suitors, "Oh yeah…that could make you a little cranky huh?" Yuki nodded, laying back, sighing, "Yep." Teo followed suit, landing so they were shoulder to shoulder, "Well that sucks." Yuki nodded, "Yep."


	3. Chapter Two Morning Headache

Yuki moaned to herself, turning in her bed, while a head ache started to pound it's way to the font of her head. The pain only got worse as she opened her eyes to the sunlight coming through her window. The night before Teo and Yuki both decided to celebrate her birthday by breaking open the bottle of cactus juice that Sokka had given her as a gag gift. So far the only thing that was funny about the idea was that she and Teo had though it would be fun. Groaning Yuki covered her face thinking to herself, 'I'm going to beat Uncle Sokka over the head with his boomerang….'. Another groan of pain came from the earth tent at the side of Yuki's bed, Teo's feet sticking out at the end of it. Smirking Yuki reached down to tug on one of his big toes, replying, "The cactus juice was your idea wasn't it?" Slowly the rock sides slid down, revealing a pained young earth bender, who answered with groggy moans, "Yeah…"

"Then I am so going to water whip your ass when my head stops feeling like it's going to split in two," Yuki dictated, burying her face into her pillow. Teo nodded, covering his eyes with his arm, "If it makes my head feel any better then go ahead." Suddenly pounding came from Yuki's large wooden doors, making both the youths moan in pain. Taking the moans as an okay to enter, a maid pushed the doors opened, calling cheerfully, "Princess Yuki! It's time to embraced the day!"

The cheerful outburst was met with equally chilling death stared that came from the occupant of the bed, and the one on the floor. Seeing that there was an unmarried man in the room without a chaperon the maid gasped, sputtering, "P-princes Yuki! T-there's a man in here! Oh what will your future husband think?!" Yuki rolled her eyes, getting out of bed grudgingly, wearing her normal night attire of trouser shorts and a breast band, "Keako, it's Teo for fire-lord's sake. He's seen me in less when we've gone swimming." Teo nodded, getting up, shirtless. Keako muffled a startled yelp, looking at both the youths, "B-but he's unmarried! You're innocence could-"

Yuki scoffed, starting to push Teo out of the room, "He's my best friend. Doing anything along the lines of what your thinking would be like doing that with my brother." Teo nodded, stumbling over his feet, "Yeah, I mean no offense to Yuki but she's not exactly…" Yuki jabbed him in the side with an extremely hot finger, growling under her breath, "I'd think of how you'd finish that sentence if I were you…" Teo chuckled shrugging, "Fine Princess Priss." With a shove Teo was out of her room, the door shutting behind him with a thud. Teo just laughed, rubbing his head while making his way to his family's rooms.

One the other side of the door, Yuki sighed, rubbing her face before bending the water out of her washing basin, throwing it into her face to help wake her up. Faithfully Keako handed her a towel to dry her face, then hurrying to Yuki's wardrobe, opening it to rifle through the cloths, trying to find an appropriate out fit, tittering, "Princess, do you not own any dresses?!" The girl in question shrugged her shoulders, patting her face dry, "If I do they're in the back where they belong."

The maid sighed, starting to dig, chastising, "Princess, as the possible future fire-lady, you must show everyone that you are calm, poised, and regal. Walking around in a man's outfit hardly show's that." Yuki looked up at her archway ceiling shaking her head, "Yeah, but they're a lot more comfortable than the death traps you call a dress." It never made sense to her as to why people thought that it would be proper for women to torture themselves by wearing uncomfortable clothing.

Much to her dismay it took Keako only a few minutes to find the said torture devices, pulling them out to lay them across Yuki's bed. The colors and styles varied from a long formal blood red dress, to a pink short sparring one piece. All where in a fire nation style and some shade or hue of red, none were anywhere near blue or a water tribe cut. That had always irritated Yuki. The water tribes new how to dress for what they did, and still look decent. Sadly for Yuki though, to her horror, Keako picked a bright red dress, that was made up of many knots, hooks, and sheer hell. How she was going to fit in it she didn't know, but by the look on Keako's face, it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.


End file.
